15 Questions
What is the main difference between silicate and non-silicate minerals?
Silicate minerals contain silicon, while non-silicate minerals do not
What is the primary reason limestone was mined by settlers in Central Kansas?
To build homes and fence posts
What is the composition of carbonates?
Carbonate anion and one or more cations
What is the most abundant carbonate?
Calcite
What was the environment in which limestone was formed in Kansas?
Marine
What is the chemical formula for calcite?
CaCO3
What is the name of the rocks that calcite is a major constituent in?
Limestone and marble
What is the process that leads to the formation of stalagmites and stalactites in caves?
Water evaporation
What is the main component of stony coral?
Calcium carbonate
What is gypsum an example of?
A sulfate
Why does Kansas have significant deposits of halite?
It was once covered by sea water
What is the molecular formula for halite?
NaCl
At what percentage of sea water evaporation does gypsum form and settle out of solution?
65%
What would you expect to encounter first when drilling into the seabed of the Mediterranean Sea?
Halite
What is the significance of the huge beds of halite and gypsum in the floor of the Mediterranean Sea?
It indicates that the sea has been relatively dry in the past
Study Notes
Non-Silicate Minerals
- Most of the earth's crust is composed of silicate minerals, but several non-silicate minerals are of great importance.
- Silicon and oxygen comprise over half of the earth's crust by weight.
Carbonates
- Carbonates are composed of the carbonate anion (CO3-2) and one or more cations, such as calcium or magnesium.
- The most abundant carbonate is calcite (CaCO3), also known as calcium carbonate.
- Calcite is the major constituent in limestone and marble.
- Limestone is formed from sediments in a marine environment.
- Examples of limestone structures include stalagmites and stalactites, and stony coral.
Sulfates
- Gypsum is a mineral composed of the sulfate anion (SO4-2) and a cation.
- Gypsum is formed from the sediments of evaporated sea water.
- Gypsum is used to make wallboard for construction.
Halides
- Halite, or common table salt, is an example of a halide, a mineral formed with a halide anion (fluoride, bromide, chloride, or iodide).
- The molecular formula for halite is sodium chloride (NaCl).
- Halite is formed from the sediments of evaporated sea water.
- Huge beds of halite and gypsum exist in the floor of the Mediterranean Sea, indicating that the sea has been relatively dry in the past.
- As sea water evaporates, gypsum forms and settles out of solution when 65% of the water has evaporated, and halite forms and settles out of solution when 90% of the water has evaporated.
This quiz covers non-silicate minerals, their importance, and their composition in the earth's crust.
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